Cincinnati, Ohio (CNN) – Gearing up for deer-hunting season, Rep. Paul Ryan bought hunting clothes for his daughter to go with the rifle the Republican vice presidential nominee gave her for Christmas.

"She's hunted with me but this is the first time she gets to do the hunting herself," Ryan said of daughter Liza. "She's 10 years old and you can hunt starting at 10. I got her a rifle for Christmas last year and so I'm getting her ready."

On Tuesday in Ohio, between a town hall in Cincinnati and a rally with GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney in Vandalia, Ryan stopped at Bass Pro Shops in the Forrest Park neighborhood to get his daughter outfitted for hunting season.

The outdoorsman went directly to the "Women's Camo" area to check out their assortment of camouflage items. He purchased his daughter gloves, a beanie and a bib and paid for the $101.14 bill in cash. With a couple items in hand, he explained to reporters the hat and gloves include carbon which helps block a human's scent.

The Wisconsin-native, tapped to be Romney's running mate in August, often mentions his love of hunting on the campaign trail. Ryan tries to cast their Democratic opponent, President Barack Obama, as out of touch because of a comment he made in the 2008 campaign in which he said, "People like to cling to their guns and their religion."

"Hey, I'm a Catholic deer-hunter. I am happy to be clinging to my guns and my religion," Ryan first said in Carnegie, Pennsylvania on Aug. 21.

Liza, the oldest of Ryan's three children, received her first rifle for Christmas last year. "I got her a Remington 700 243 junior model – 243 is a caliber – it's a good gun," Ryan, an avid bowhunter, explained to reporters at the store.

According to an ">interview with Deer & Deer Hunting magazine, Ryan "shoots a Mathews Z7 Xtreme compound and loves the thrill of bowhunting, but also enjoys firearms."

"My daughter she's been hunting with me for years, watching me, but she's old enough this year to hunt on her own," he said. "She's really looking forward to it."

Ryan said he hopes to go hunting this fall in his home state and in Oklahoma, where his wife Janna grew up.

The vice presidential hopeful may not have as much time to hunt as he has in previous years, juggling his role as congressman and now vice presidential nominee, but soon he'll be able to mix a little work and pleasure. Ryan is expected to do an event with sportsmen in Columbus, Ohio this weekend.

soundoff(449 Responses)

Logic N LA

Hunting for sport is fine if you plan to either eat the kill or donate it to someone that will. Most of us eat meat, so it would be hypocritical to say it is wrong to shoot for this purpose.
However, a 10 year old going out alone is lunacy. I don't care how responsable the young lady is- it is not safe. And she is not big enough to handle the deer she shoots to get it dressed for eating.Maybe she shold start with an animal more her size like the family dog or cat. What? That's crazy? It is the same thing. killing for sport.

September 26, 2012 10:39 am at 10:39 am |

BE in TN

Disgusting!!!! This birdbrain will do anything for a vote but why waste his time and money trying to impress nra and others who will support anyone but obama; to be honest, he actually looks like a baby bird that just broke through its shell, lmao.

September 26, 2012 10:40 am at 10:40 am |

Joe

Buying a rife for a ten year old to kill animals. Man !! That says enough for me about this guy.

September 26, 2012 10:42 am at 10:42 am |

Paw Wow

Camon man!!! Really!!!! Hunting gear for your daughter?

September 26, 2012 10:43 am at 10:43 am |

tp1776

this is a wink (a hunter's wink) from Ryan to conservatives. He's saying "woof woof" look how tough we are.

September 26, 2012 10:45 am at 10:45 am |

JPX

Sinbad writes, "[hunting] also forces the hunter to confront and respect the animal" So? It's always so ridiculous to me when hunters use this argument, as if the animal cares whether or not you respect it. I'm sure the animal would happily be disrespected if it meant that you weren't going to blow its brains out.

September 26, 2012 10:45 am at 10:45 am |

You guys kill me....

Here all you folks are talking about giving a 10 yr old a gun....come on really? I have all 3 of my kids hunting the oldest is 11 youngest is 7. They all have more understanding about nature and the enviroment then almost all the folks posting on here. Here in TN and what most folks don't understand is that....all these animals that everyone loves to see and watch are protected and watched over by the hunters money...when they buy hunting lics, shells...ect...and % of that goes to the TN Wildlife Resource Agency. Now....on to the eating aspect....I was raised about as poor as anyone could be and if it was not for hunting done by my brother and myself, my family would have gone to bed many of nights with nothing to eat. So Shut up.... Now for you health food nuts....most hunters are in better shape then you think, eat better then what you buy in the store...Deer meat is the most health meat other then Fish...yes better then chicken. It's all natural. You guys could care less what a person does, unless they are a Republican...I bet is Christ himself came back and ran on a GOP ticket you guys would still vote fo Obama....somemtimes you have to think for yourselves. SOUNDS CRAZY i KNOW.....

September 26, 2012 10:46 am at 10:46 am |

fatal42

Have any of you honestly thought that it may be good for a young person to know about guns & gun safety, how to appreciate & respect them as a sporting object & or a weapon ?
I pray my children & grandchildren will never have to use one in self defence , BUT I have seen to it that if it happens they do know how !!

September 26, 2012 10:46 am at 10:46 am |

Norm

I'll buy the antlers for Ryan.

September 26, 2012 10:51 am at 10:51 am |

Tired of the BS

Another stupid headline that has absolutely nothing to do with the crux of the election. As far as Ryan teaching his daughter to hunt, I think it's great. I don't hunt, but I damn sure love venision. Deer are way too overpopulated, and are a great food source. We have people starving in this country, and so many damn deer that they are wandering into neighborhoods and my deck! Learn to shoot. Feed the people. Right on.

That is really gross! George Bernard Shaw wrote: "We will never see peace on earth until we stop killing and eating animals."

September 26, 2012 10:57 am at 10:57 am |

S. Smith

My moto to my 3 daughters:

"The deer are going to die anyway so why not speed up the process".

Go for it.

September 26, 2012 11:00 am at 11:00 am |

WordUpToo

As if we needed another reason to NOT vote for this guy.

What an idiot, buying a 10-year old kid a gun. Parents should teach their kids compassion for other living creatures, not encourage them to kill them.

September 26, 2012 11:05 am at 11:05 am |

ew1974

I'm a woman, and a voter in a critical swing state. My father hunted. I think giving any 10 year old a gun and taking her out in the woods where she can get hurt and killed very easily is sick. I imagine more women feel the same.

September 26, 2012 11:07 am at 11:07 am |

Darlis

what great vaues to instill in your child.... kill, but then the republicans like wars and killing it seems.

September 26, 2012 11:08 am at 11:08 am |

Thomas

The Bible contains no prohibitions against hunting. Genesis 1 clearly shows that God put mankind in authority over all animals. And for 10 year olds to own an assault Deer rifle with a 30 round clip.

I understand the tradition of hunting , and with god removing all the natural predators for deer and stuff , it's up to us to do it.for god.

And Deer meat is organic , heck God made such a mess with pullotants and stuff , corn and cows can give you cancer these days.

September 26, 2012 11:12 am at 11:12 am |

Marilyn

Is it that she wants to please Dad since he is a busy man and probably when he is around wants to do his thing so her only choice to be with him is hunting at 10 and earlier. Most kids that age are still crying over Bambi. Has she passed all the courses in gun safety?

And then I do agree he was attempting to get a vote from the hunters of Ohio by shopping for hunting gear with the media along. Keep your kids out of the public eye.

September 26, 2012 11:17 am at 11:17 am |

AnOpinionator

Most American hunting cultures are lagging behind other parts of society. They are often less educated, poorer, and more closed-minded. I'm generalizing based on experience and, of course, there are exceptions. But this is the group Ryan is pandering to by using his 10 yo daughter to make a statement. America must move forward and this mindset is not a forward-thinking bunch. Plus, the fear of losing the right to have a gun is mostly paranoia and a non-issue, certainly not an issue that's going to make or break this country; we have much bigger things to care about. Like it or not, we are becomming a global society with a global economy and thinking and acting US-centric will only end up isolating us while the rest of the world moves on. To sum up: Politically bad move here by Ryan.

As for teaching a 10 yo to hunt, that's another, sad issue in and of itself. A 10 yo sporting a rifle is irresponsible on so many levels. Hunting is a cruel pastime and is unnecessary (no such thing as "population control" by public hunting). Teach her something productive and find other ways to bond. Be a man for your daughter.

September 26, 2012 11:20 am at 11:20 am |

Bill

If the 2nd Amendment doesn't apply to today's firearms, them I'm assuming the 1st Amendment doesn't apply to the internet....

September 26, 2012 11:21 am at 11:21 am |

sayer

It's okay to tell your dad you really didn't want a RIFLE for Christmas, sweetie. Do it soon so you get a better gift this year.

September 26, 2012 11:23 am at 11:23 am |

Dan

I can't imagine why Congressman Ryan would be buying camoflage clothing for his daughter to hunt deer with a Remington 700 rifle, since Wisconsin, and most other States, require blaze orange clothing for rifle hunting. This is specifically to protect the hunters who may wander around the woods and be shot at by someone a bit quick on the trigger. By outfitting his daughter in camoflage for rifle hunting Congressman Ryan could be putting his 10 year old in harms way if he actually intended to send her into the field in that outfit; he would also be encouraging her to break Wisconsin law. If this were anything more than a photo op it would cause concern. And if Congressman Ryan were the hunter he claims to be, he would certainly know that.

September 26, 2012 11:25 am at 11:25 am |

Cindy

Parent of the year for sure. You buy a 10-year old a rifle and hunting gear? This is one sick person, and he wants to be VP. What is it about conservative christianity and guns?

September 26, 2012 11:29 am at 11:29 am |

Papaw Nick

Anything to trash a canidate. What about beer on the WH lawn? He may get caught doing something terrible like spitting on the sidewalk. The media will let us know if he does as that is something we need to know to decide the presidency.

September 26, 2012 11:34 am at 11:34 am |

AceGirlshusband

Outstanding. I doubt, however, she's actually "hunting alone" in any true sense. Its a good age to teach gun safety and hunting skills. With responsible parents guiding her, she'll grow to be a good sportsman and a highly responsible gun owner.